Dhoni good only on Indian pitches: Amarnath

Former middle order batsman and ex-selector, Mohinder Amarnath has lashed out at Indian captain MS Dhoni saying he is good only on Indian pitches. Stating that it was time that the 'defensive captain' was ousted, Amarnath pitched in for a man who could lead from the front.

"Dhoni is a defensive captain who allows opposition to make a comeback in the game. His record is good at home pitches only like any other Indian captain. There is nothing special about it. We need aggressive captains like Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to win matches abroad," Amarnath told PTI Bhasha.

Under Dhoni, India have suffered four successive losses overseas. This included two whitewashes against England and Australia as well as the recent losses against South Africa and New Zealand. India's last overseas victory came against West Indies immediately after the 2011 World Cup.

"A captain has to lead from the front. Not a single Test captain in the world bats at number seven. What kind of example you are going to set. I sincerely feel that this is high time to relieve him from Test captaincy and although he is a match winner in ODIs, they should look at an option in shorter format as well," said the hero of India's 1983 World Cup triumph.

When asked about his choice for the captaincy, Amarnath singled out the young and aggressive Virat Kohli. "Gautam (Gambhir) was an option who had the experience but since he is out of contention now, Virat is an obvious choice. He has shown leadership qualities at various levels. I think there should be different captains for different formats," the 63-year-old said.

Amartnath's tirade was not just restricted to Dhoni. The former all-rounder also questioned the role of Duncan Fletcher, the Indian coach as well as the rest of the support staff. "I don't understand what is the use of having him (Fletcher) if he is not delivering. Everyone is talking about the players, captain but nobody is raising questions on coach and support staff. I think Indian team needs an Indian coach.

"A coach's job is to help players to play to their potential and in the past we have achieved laurels with our own coaches," the former selector said.

He has retired from Test cricket and handed over the reins to Virat Kohli but MS Dhoni has stayed back with the Indian Test team as a back-up wicketkeeper for the last Test match against Australia scheduled to be played in Sydney from January 6.

Former India captain Rahul Dravid said Zaheer Khan must contemplate his future with the team after another insipid tour since his comeback from a year-long layoff, that saw him travel to France to get back in shape.